There has perhaps never been a time when the seemingly contradictory demands of reducing costs and investing in innovation were stronger than they are today.  In the current downturn, most firms have decided to focus on their core value-producing activities, and to sharply reduce the cost of all support functions.  The latter have been outsourced to third parties, off-shored to other continents, or moved into shared services organizations (SSOs).  Research suggests that the use of SSOs for support functions, including IT, has greatly increased during the downturn, and they have become an important part of the organization in many firms.

This report is designed to help CIOs effectively manage an SSO to reduce costs, while also supporting the innovation and value agendas of the firm.